All About Eve [1989] Scarlet And Other Stories

[01] Road To Your Soul
[02] Dream Now
[03] Gold And Silver
[04] Scarlet
[05] December
[06] Blind Lemon Sam
[07] More Than The Blues
[08] Tuesday's Child
[09] Pieces Of Our Heart
[10] Hard Spaniard
[11] The Empty Dancehall
[12] Only One Reason
[13] The Pearl Fisherman



amg: It happens all the time. A band puts out a well-received debut, tours successfully, and generally feels excited about its future. And while it may seem that the "sophomore slump" is an overused cliché, before issuing their premier releases most bands spend years working on songs live, refining their songwriting, and finding their place in things. They get the record deal, and take those well-worked songs into the studio with them. They record, release, and if they're lucky, the album is a moderate to big hit. If it is, then they get a follow-up to make. Only this time, the band has to come up with new tracks, usually in a sterile, studio environment, and given that they're probably sick of playing the same tunes for the last few years, cracks in morale start to appear. To say this happened to All About Eve would be hitting the nail on the head. Recorded in somewhat idyllic surroundings should have had a positive effect on the band, but instead the Eves had a bit of a meltdown. Scarlet and Other Stories, their "difficult" follow-up, is the result of a band trying to cope with moderate success while working new sounds and styles into their music. More diverse and a tad longer than All About Eve, Scarlet has some fantastic moments and some not so fantastic moments. Tracks like "Road to Your Soul" and "December" are quintessential All About Eve, while others, such as "Hard Spaniard" and "Blind Lemon Sam," are catchy and melodic but stretch the ability of the band a bit too far. Lyrically, Scarlet is considerably darker than its predecessor, lacking the angels and hippies and flower children of the debut. What it all boils down to is that when the band is playing to its strengths, the album is great. When they're trying too hard, the album feels a bit like a misstep.
(amg 7/10).

Aerosmith [1989] Pump

[01] Young Lust
[02] F.I.N.E.
[03] Going Down - Love In An Elevator
[04] Monkey On My Back
[05] Water Song - Janie's Got A Gun
[06] Dulcimer Stomp - The Other Side
[07] My Girl
[08] Don't Get Mad, Get Even
[09] Hoodoo, Voodoo Medicine Man
[10] What It Takes



amg: Where Permanent Vacation seemed a little overwhelmed by its pop concessions, Pump revels in them without ever losing sight of Aerosmith's dirty hard rock core. Which doesn't mean the record is a sellout — "What It Takes" has more emotion and grit than any of their other power ballads; "Janie's Got a Gun" tackles more complex territory than most previous songs; and "The Other Side" and "Love in an Elevator" rock relentlessly, no matter how many horns and synths fight with the guitars. Such ambition and successful musical eclecticism make Pump rank with Rocks and Toys in the Attic.
(amg 9/10)

Ali Farka Toure [1988] Ali Farka Toure

[01] Timbarma
[02] Singya
[03] Nawiye
[04] Bakoytereye
[05] Tchigi Fo
[06] Amandrai
[07] Kadi Kadi
[08] Yulli
[09] Bakoye
[10] Amandrai Live



amg: Internationally feted at the age of 50, Ali Farka Touré's life was not always so easy. Up till the release of this, his first album, he was virtually unknown in West Africa and a non-entity in the world music community. Before this album bought him fame, if not fortune, Touré's life resembled Amos Tutuola's in Palm Wine Drunkard, a mixture of hard times and legend. What made Touré stand out from the crowd was his mixture of these two elements, a blues-based singing style close to John Lee Hooker and a particularly African choice of subject matter, often rooted in West African myth and folktale. On this release, Touré performs most often unaccompanied relying entirely on the magnetism of his beautiful voice and the counterpoint of his rhythmic guitar. Occasionally, Touré is accompanied by traditional instruments such as calabash or bongos, which he also plays, but the real strength of this album lies in his magnificent voice. While he sings in several different languages, including English, the power and genius of Touré's compositions easily carry through the language barrier. This album inaugurated a new marriage of American blues and African musical traditions of which Touré is the best practitioner.
(amg 10/10)

All About Eve [1988] All About Eve

[01] Flowers In Our Hair
[02] Gypsy Dance
[03] In The Clouds
[04] Martha's Harbour
[05] Every Angel
[06] Like Emily
[07] Shelter From The Rain
[08] She Moves Through The Fair (Version)
[09] Wild Hearted Woman
[10] Never Promise (Anyone Forever)
[11] Apple Tree Man
[12] What Kind Of Fool
[13] In The Meadow
[14] Lady Moonlight



amg: To label (in any way) the self-titled debut from All About Eve "goth" is a perfect example of how loosely the term was being thrown around in the mid- to late '80s in England. Sure, the Eves had a bit of goth cred (touring with the Mission, early singles that sounded a lot like Siouxsie), but All About Eve is more folksy than menacing, and follows the tradition of later-era Fairport Convention more than Bauhaus or the Sisters of Mercy. The band had already developed its more folksy sound on its independently released singles, but with Paul Samwell-Smith producing, All About Eve graduated from quasi-Siouxsie clones into a full-blown example of late-'80s "goth pop." Steeped in folksy melodies and hippie-esque lyrics, All About Eve can seem a bit dramatic and drippy, but it makes up for its faults with solid song arrangements and a glossy production that fits the band's melodic sensibilities and polished guitar work. While it may not be part of the pantheon of rock as a whole, All About Eve stands out as a prime example of a time in English pop music when things weren't quite certain.
(amg 8/10)

Ac/Dc [1988] Blow Up Your Video

[01] Heatseeker
[02] That's The Way I Wanna Rock'n'Roll
[03] Meanstreak
[04] Go Zone
[05] Kissin' Dynamite
[06] Nick Of Time
[07] Some Sin For Nuthin'
[08] Ruff Stuff
[09] Two's Up
[10] This Means War



amg: AC/DC remained a popular concert draw throughout the '80s, although such albums as Flick of the Switch and Fly on the Wall failed to replicate their mass U.S. commercial success of 1980-1981 (Back in Black, For Those About to Rock, a reissue of Dirty Deeds). But the successful soundtrack for Stephen King's lackluster movie Maximum Overdrive, titled Who Made Who, put AC/DC back on the right track commercially. Their first new studio album of all-new material in three years, 1988's Blow Up Your Video turned out to be their most successful album since 1981's For Those About To Rock, even though it was chock full of filler. The driving album opener, "Heatseeker," turned out to be a surprising Top Ten single in the U.K., while the anthemic "That's the Way I Want to Rock n' Roll" proved to be another highlight (video clips were filmed for both songs, as well). But from there on (with the exception of "Kissin' Dynamite" and "This Means War"), it gets pretty unfocused. The album is glutted with such throwaways as "Nick of Time," "Ruff Stuff," and "Two's Up" -- completely missing the point of what made such previous albums as Back in Black so great (they simply did not contain a weak moment). Blow Up Your Video also marked the return of AC/DC's early production team, Harry Vanda and George Young, who man the boards for the first time since 1978's If You Want Blood.
(amg 5/10)

Aztec Camera [1987C] Love

[01] Deep And Wide And Tall
[02] How Men Are
[03] Everybody Is A Number One
[04] More Than A Law
[05] Somewhere In My Heart
[06] Working In A Goldmine
[07] One And One
[08] Paradise
[09] Killermont Street



amg: Roddy Frame dispensed with the previous members of Aztec Camera and turned to a group of American session musicians and high-powered producers (Russ Titelman, Tommy LiPuma) for his third full-length album, on which he also abandoned his singer/songwriter, folk-rock approach in favor of an American R&B style. It's a distinct step down from the ingenuity of his first couple of records, and was met with indifference in the U.S., which seemed to be its intended target. In the U.K., the album belatedly took off after its second single, "Somewhere In My Heart," went to #3, and became Aztec Camera's only Top Ten LP. (Other U.K. chart singles were "How Men Are" [#25] and "Working In A Goldmine" [#31].)
(amg 5/10)

Alison Moyet [1987] Raindancing

[01] Weak In The Presence Of Beauty
[02] Ordinary Girl
[03] You Got Me Wrong
[04] Without You
[05] Sleep Like Breathing
[06] Is This Love
[07] Blow Wind Blow
[08] Glorious Love
[09] When I Say (No Giveaway)
[10] Stay



wiki: Raindancing is the title of the second solo music recording/album of singer/songwriter Alison Moyet. The album includes four single releases; "Is This Love" (co-written by the Eurythmics' David A. Stewart under his 'Jean/Manu Guiot' pseudonym), "Weak in the Presence of Beauty", "Ordinary Girl" and "Sleep Like Breathing", a duet with David Freeman of the band The Lover Speaks. The US version of Raindancing was released with a different cover and the tracks in re-arranged order.
(amg 6/10)

Alarm [1985] Strength

[01] Knife Edge
[02] Strength
[03] Dawn Chorus
[04] Spirit Of '76
[05] Deeside
[06] Father To Son
[07] Only The Thunder
[08] The Day The Ravens Left The Tower
[09] Absolute Reality
[10] Walk Forever By My Side



amg: In addition to an improved sense of musicality and dynamics, Strength featured the Alarm's finest group of songs, making it their single best studio album.
(amg 9/10)

Aerosmith [1985] Done With Mirrors

[01] Let The Music Do The Talking
[02] My Fist Your Face
[03] Shame On You
[04] The Reason A Dog
[05] Shela
[06] Gypsy Boots
[07] She's On Fire
[08] The Hop
[09] Darkness



amg: Joe Perry returned to the fold in 1985, and Aerosmith turned out their finest record since Rocks. Unlike the records that preceded it, Done with Mirrors is powered by the same smart-assed lyrics and filthy guitars that formed the core of Aerosmith's best songs. It didn't receive the commercial or critical attention that Permanent Vacation did two years later, but Done With Mirrors is the better album; it marks the beginning of their remarkable comeback.
(amg 8/10)

Ac/Dc [1985] Fly On The Wall

[01] Fly On The Wall
[02] Shake Your Foundations
[03] First Blood
[04] Danger
[05] Sink The Pink
[06] Playing With Girls
[07] Stand Up
[08] Hell Or High Water
[09] Back In Business
[10] Send For The Man



amg: Instead of issuing your usual run-of-the-mill video clips advertising your new album, AC/DC decided to try something a little different for their 1985 record, Fly on the Wall. A storyline was created that would run through five of the album's songs, and while the story wasn't exactly on par with Citizen Kane (it centered around the band playing away at a city bar, while strange characters were introduced per song), it proved to be a rather original idea amidst the usual corny clips of the '80s. The most popular video was for the mid-paced rocker "Danger" (which showed a sleazy photographer snooping around the band), which was played regularly on MTV's heavy metal programs. Other clips included "Shake Your Foundations" (as the title hints, the band reduces the bar to rubble), and a rather embarrassing one for "Sink the Pink" (in which a disco dancer shimmy's away to AC/DC's thunderous heavy metal...come on!). Like their 1986 home video, Who Made Who, Fly on the Wall suffers from an all too short running time, but still manages to be enjoyable viewing.
(amg 4/10)

Asia [1985] Astra

[01] Go
[02] Voice Of America
[03] Hard On Me
[04] Wishing
[05] Countdown To Zero
[06] Love Now Til Eternity
[07] Too Late
[08] Suspicion
[09] Rock And Roll Dream
[10] After The War



amg: Asia was always a bland, derivative excuse for a dinosaur rock band, but when their debut album came out in 1982 and sold three million copies, they seemed like a repudiation of the new wave movement, the pop music equivalent of the Reagan revolution in politics. Like Ronnie, however, Asia ran out of gas around mid-decade. True, they were still constructing keyboard-dominated, heroic-voiced arena pop, but suddenly nobody cared anymore, or at least not enough customers to vault them into the Top Ten, and for this kind of band, it's platinum or don't bother. So, first, guitarist Steve Howe took his marbles and went home to Yes, and then the rest of the band packed it in, too. They'd be back, of course, when the money was right.
(amg 4/10)

Arcadia [1985] So Red The Rose

[01] Election Day
[02] Keep Me In The Dark
[03] Goodbye Is Forever
[04] The Flame
[05] Missing
[06] Rose Arcana
[07] The Promise
[08] El Diablo
[09] Lady Ice



amg: Arcadia was the arty quarter of Duran Duran's side project. Members Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes were left to complete it after Roger Taylor left the group. They still strove to create the "western evocative of east" blueprinted by Japan's Tin Drum. They didn't achieve it with this, but it's certainly the best album Duran never made. Like earlier work Rio, the sleeve perfectly describes the record inside. The opener "Election Day" is darkly romantic irking toward erotic and has brass stabs not dissimilar from their Bond score View to a Kill. The following songs are lighter: "Keep Me in the Dark" and the U.S. single "Goodbye Is Forever." "The Flame" has a sharp beat and sultry bass groove that nods at Nile Rodgers. Two dream works, "Missing" and "Rose Arcana," precede "The Promise," which guests Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, Sting, and Herbie Hancock. "El Diablo" has a latin flavor but still sounds like two Englishmen daydreaming of an escapade to El Salvador. Finally, to the dramatic splendor of "Lady Ice," a fantastic conclusion to a very good album. Thankfully, Arcadia chose not to pursue this album like their other Duran offshoot.
(amg 6/10)

a-ha [1985] Hunting High And Low

[01] Take On Me
[02] Train Of Thought
[03] Hunting High And Low
[04] The Blue Sky
[05] Living A Boy's Adventure Tale
[06] The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
[07] And You Tell Me
[08] Love Is Reason
[09] I Dream Myself Alive
[10] Here I Stand And Face The Rain



amg: Anyone who dismissed a-ha as a one-hit wonder must have missed out on the band's fine debut, Hunting High and Low. Though the band spawned many further hits across the rest of the world, "Take on Me" exploded in the States and the group never cracked the top of the charts again. It's a shame, because the album contains a handful of songs that nearly match the manic energy and emotional crack of its big hit. Further, it's a cohesive album with smart pace changeups, and it rarely fails to delight or satisfy a listener's need for a synth pop fix. The opening kick is a huge one: "Take on Me" is a new wave classic laced with rushing keyboards, made emotionally resonant thanks to Morten Harket's touching vocal delicacy. It didn't hurt in the era of MTV that the song's video was a hyperkinetic blend of mind-warping animation and filmed footage with a romantic thriller's heart. Harket's hunky physique and cheekbones also didn't hurt the video's chances at heavy rotation. Getting past that video, "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is just as thrilling. Starting as a sad ballad, it explodes into something much more, as chugging guitars and operatic synths keep pace with Harket's evocative vocal stylings. If ever a 1980s song qualified as Wall of Sound, "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." would be it. The remainder of the album sees a-ha switching deftly back and forth between dramatic overtures and classic new wave keyboard motifs. "Train of Thought" and "Love Is Reason" are reminiscent of early Depeche Mode or Camouflage, but Harket's rich voice and flair make them purely a-ha. The band explores decidedly European terrain in the theatrical "Hunting High and Low" and dances a pop waltz with the sweet "Living a Boy's Adventure Tale," coming across like a marriage between the Blue Nile and Alphaville. Delightful song snippets "The Blue Sky" and "And You Tell Me" act as frosting on the cake or as glue between the theater and the dancefloor. One can't escape the feeling that Hunting High and Low is a product of the 1980s, but with highs like "Take on Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.," and no lows in sight, a-ha's debut is a treat worth relishing.
(amg 8/10)